Story Sensei Critique Service

Hey, writers—here’s a great offer you shouldn't pass up. Enter Camy Tang's contest to win a free critique.

I’ve had the pleasure of having Camy critique my wip. She’s fabulous, and she makes you think of better ways to express yourself and points you into the right direction to give your work that extra umph.

From now until July 15th, Camy Tang will be holding a fabulous contest for her Story Sensei critique service.

She will draw the names of TWO lucky winners! They will each receive a free synopsis critique – up to 10 pages single-spaced, a $40 value! AND a coupon for 25% OFF any manuscript critique – whether full or partial manuscript, any number of words. For a 100,000 word manuscript, that's a savings of $250!

In addition, EVERYONE WHO ENTERS will receive a 10% OFF coupon for any service, whether synopsis, query letter, or manuscript critique (full or partial). For a 100,000 word manuscript, that's a savings of $100, just for entering. Go to her Story Sensei blog and post a comment to enter the contest!

Welcome Mary DeMuth

Please welcome author Mary DeMuth. It seems 2006 is turning out to be a banner year for Mary, Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook Press) was released in January, Watching the Tree Limbs (NavPress) was released this month, and Wishing on Dandelions (NavPress) will be released this September. Mary’s other non-fiction book Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House) was released last March. Mary and her family are currently in the mission field and live in southern France.

Megan: Congratulations, Mary! Have you had time to catch your breath with all this excitement?

Mary: No, not really. I still haven’t found time to celebrate!

Megan: Talk to us a little bit about your books that came out this month.

Mary: Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God is a devotional for thinking, Jesus-following mothers. I was tired of devotionals aimed at women that were foofy. This is not a foofy book!

Megan: Amen!

Mary: Building the Christian Family You Never Had is for pioneer parents who don’t want to duplicate the homes they were raised in.

Watching the Tree Limbs is a novel about God’s redemptive hand in a nearly impossible situation—childhood sexual abuse.

Megan: When did you realize that you were going to be a writer, and when did you first pursue it as a career?

Mary: I realized it during college after I handed in a short story in lieu of a term paper. The English professor loved it. I knew then that I wanted to spend my time writing. I first started writing “professionally” in the early nineties. I published a newsletter called The Giving Home Journal for three years. This led to editing and writing for three church newsletters. In 2000, I started getting serious about publication. I met a mentor then who helped me navigate my first query letter and encouraged me as I wrote my first novel.

Megan: Three books released in one year—what was the timeline for this accomplishment?

Mary: I wrote Watching the Tree Limbs first, in the summer of 2003. I wrote Building the Christian Family and Ordinary Mom fall 2004 until summer of 2005. I wrote Wishing on Dandelions June and November of 2005.

Megan: Your bio lists work as an editor, novelist, freelance writer and columnist. What is your training in writing?

Mary: I graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA with a degree in English. Everything else, I learned from reading, going to conferences, and attending (and now leading) critique groups.

Megan: What does a typical writing day look like for you?

Mary: Wake up around 7. Run or do the Stairmaster. Eat breakfast with the kids and walk them to school by 8:30. Write from 8:30—4:30 except on the days my children are home (Wednesdays) and our church planting team meetings (Tuesdays). Lately, I’m pretty swamped so I am doing a lot of work in the evening as well, particularly radio interviews.

Megan: Do you write your books simultaneously or one-at-a-time?

Mary: It depends. Right now I’m writing a parenting book about parenting in a postmodern context, but I’m also working on a fiction proposal and retooling another fiction proposal, all the while doing the final edits for Wishing on Dandelions. It’s pretty crazy.

Megan: What’s Wishing on Dandelions about?

Mary: Wishing on Dandelions is the sequel of Watching the Tree Limbs, taking themain character, Maranatha, to her teens. It's Southern Drama and deals withprejudice, fear, and dealing with past sexual abuse.

Megan: We know that being a writer can be a solitary career. Are you able to fellowship with other Christian authors?

Mary: Not in France. I miss it terribly. I do have a writer’s group here, though it’s been hard to meet other Christian writers. I try to fly back to the states a few times a year to network with other publishers and authors.

Megan: What advice can you give to new writers?

Mary: BOC time (bottom on chair). You won’t improve your writing if you’re not writing. Read good writing books. Join a critique group even if you’re scared. Attend a writer’s conference. Read good books, even outside your genre.

Megan: I’ve had the pleasure of keeping up with you and your family as you minister in France. How is God working through you in that mission field? What’s the best way to pray for your ministry?

Mary: It’s been really fun seeing how God has used my writing in English IN FRANCE! Today I heard from a new friend of mine here that she read my novel and really loved it. I’m tickled!

Our first church service is April 8th. Please be praying for that. We have a lot to do to prepare for it.

Megan: Mary, thanks for joining us and sharing your news. God bless you.

How observant are you?

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?

2. How many states are there in the USA? (Don't laugh, some people don'tknow)

3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch?

4. What six colors are on the classic Campbell's soup label?

5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them?

6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg? (Don't you dare get up to see!)

7. How many matches are in a standard pack?

8. On the United States flag is the top stripe red or white?

9. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?

10. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?

11. How many channels on a VHF TV dial?

12 On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons?

13. Which way do fans rotate?

14 How many sides does a stop sign have?

15. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?

16 How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?

17. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?

18. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?

19. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?

20 On which playing card is the card maker's trademark?

21. On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the openingbetween the slats?

22. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip?

23. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise?

How well did you do?

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom? BOTTOM

2. How many states are there in the USA? (Don't laugh, some people don'tknow) 50

3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch? RIGHT

4. What six colors are on the classic Campbell's soup label? BLUE, RED,WHITE, YELLOW, BLACK & GOLD

5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them? 1,0

6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg?RIGHT

7. How many matches are in a standard pack? 20

8. On the United States flag is the top stripe red or white? RED

9. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?CLOCKWISE (NORTH OF THE EQUATOR)

10. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?TOWARDS BOTTOM RIGHT

11. How many channels on a VHF TV dial? 12 (no #1)

12 On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons? LEFT

13. Which way do fans rotate? CLOCKWISE AS YOU LOOK AT IT

14 How many sides does a stop sign have? 8

15. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side? LEFT

16 How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel? 5

17. How many sides are there on a standard pencil? 6

18. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing? BASHFUL

19. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package? 8

20 On which playing card is the card maker's trademark? ACE OF SPADES

21 On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats? LEFT

22. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip? 3

23. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise? COUNTER

In Touch

I think something spiritual is beginning to brew. I have been impressed with the depth and riches of my relationships with my family and friends. How awesome to love and be loved. Now it seems I’m not the only one thinking about this lately. Two blogs I regularly read share this theme. Check out Diann Hunt’s 1/20/06 blog at Girls Write Out and Marilynn Griffith’s audio blog of 1/20/06 at Rhythms of Grace.

Tonight I’m going to my sweet friend Leah’s birthday party. I won’t say how old she is, only that it rhymes with “nifty.” She is truly a gift from God. Don’t you love friends who speak Jesus into your life? She does. A few months ago we went to the Paul McCartney concert together. During one song the verse said, “but tomorrow may rain, so I’ll follow the sun.” Leah leaned over to me and sang the song, and when she finished that line she squeezed my arm and sang, “… so we’ll follow the S-O-N.” What a blessing.

I urge you to take the time to nurture your relationships. Stuff fades and erodes and eventually turns into garbage. But our loved ones are for eternity. When you go to the throne in prayer tonight, thank God for your relationships and ask Him how you can brighten a day or share a burden. And if you’re lucky, your loved ones will speak Jesus into your life, too.

I Cheated

In my last blog entry I listed some interesting facts about me. In the original entry there was a line about my favorite movie—I changed that to my favorite book. Hey, I am a writer, after all. I guess now that I’ve changed the blog entry, I’ve cheated. Anyway I couldn’t pick a favorite movie, but aside from the Bible, my all-time favorite book is Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ by Jeanne Guyon. This little book, written around 1865 is so wonderful it’s distracting. Let me explain. Many times as I read this book I have the desire to put it down and run to read my Bible and pray. I wish the same distraction for you. God bless.

Wasting time…

My name … Megan
My childhood ambition … to work for a magazine in Manhattan
My fondest memory … the smile on my husband’s face when we were pronounced husband and wife.
My soundtrack … music from the 70s
My retreat … my backyard patio
My wildest dream … to be a published author
My biggest challenge … overcoming procrastination
My alarm clock … my Jack Russell Terrier Belle
My perfect day … any day spent with my family
My first job … stuffing envelopes for the Commissioner of Jurors in Rensselaer County, NY
My indulgence … sitting under a palapa on a tropical beach reading a great book
My last purchase … ummm, I’m sure it was a book :)
My favorite book … Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ by Jeanne Guyon because it made me want to drop everything and pray and read my Bible.
My inspiration … people who just keep plugging along—with a smile on their face
My life … filled with love and optimism
My card … sorry, not AMEX

Happy Belated New Year

Now that the whirlwind that is the Christmas/New Year holidays are behind me, I’ve begun to think of the year that lies ahead. It’s that nice, exciting, anything-is-possible feeling you used to get every September when school resumed.

I took an idea from my friend Marilynn Griffith and asked the Lord, not for a good resolution, but for a word to carry me through 2006. He told me, faithful. Hmmm. Sounds good. I believe I wasn’t called to be a superwoman, a best selling author, a community dynamo or any other fabulous ambition. I am simply called to be faithful to God. I’m eager to see where my faithfulness will lead me. It takes a lot of pressure off me to know I only have to please my Savior. I anticipate a wonderful year with Him.

I wish you a blessed 2006 as well.

Welcome Marilynn Griffith!

I would like to welcome author Marilynn Griffith as she stops by on her whirl-wind blog tour 2005. I first met Marilynn at the Denver ACFW conference in 2004 and again at the Nashville ACFW conference in 2005. Her infectious enthusiasm and sunny disposition is an encouragement to all who meet her. MADE OF HONOR, Marilynn’s urban chick-lit novel, is published by Steeple Hill Café and will be available in bookstores on December 27th. The buzz is, “This debut novel is fabulous!”

MD: Marilynn, how long do ideas percolate in your head before you start to write?
MG: My ideas usually come to me in series and it’s often about two years between the idea and publication. I have some ideas I’ve been thinking about for about three years that I’m looking forward to writing soon.

MD: What kind of goals do you set when writing? Daily? Chapter? Scene?
MG: When I’m first drafting, I try to write a scene a day. When I’m behind, I’ve been forced to do a whole chapter, but I don’t always like the results. A scene a day (3-7 pages) is a good pace for me.

MD: How do you get past the trap of procrastinating when you are writing?
MG: I don’t know. I’ve never gotten past it! Though often what I think is procrastination is my mind working out something in the story that doesn’t quite work.

MD: How detailed do you chart your character’s personalities?
MG: I don’t chart them exactly. I do a lot of journaling and discovery of their childhood experiences. I usually have to write three chapters to see who they are and then come back and try and figure them out. I’ve used the Myers-Briggs personality assessment to get a better understanding of characters I’ve already written.

MD: Are you a plotter or a seat-of-the-pants writer?
MG: I’m a plantzer, I guess. I do both. When I do a proposal, I have to have the synopsis worked out and the story line detailed, but I try not to be so detailed that there isn’t any room left to play. In just about every book though, something happens that I don’t expect and I end up having to rethink some things.

MD: What’s the best advice for a new writer?
MG: Smell the roses. Publication is such a wonderful goal, but don’t make it the focus of your life. It’s a heartbreaking business. If you depend on it to fulfill you, you’ll be sorely disappointed. As God opens doors, walk through them even if they don’t have your end goal painted on the door. I think any publishing credits or writing experience helps. Think, live and write your passions.

MD: How long did you write before your first book was under contract?
MG: I always wrote. I just never considered trying to get published. I wrote for about three years (for about 3-4 hours a day though) before getting my first contract offer.

MD: What are your dreams for your writing career?
MG: A year ago, I would have had a nice bulleted list for you, but now I’m not so sure. I’d like to make people laugh, cry, pray and come back for more. I want to give grace to women and their families.

MD: How many books have you written? What’s in the pipeline?
MG: I’ve written five books so far. I have the last two books in my Shades of Style series with Revell. After that, there may be some stories about life on the other side of the altar. We’ll see.

MD: Thanks, Marilynn. Good luck as you continue your tour. Keep us posted on your upcoming releases.

Divine Humanity

For as long as I can remember, my mother put a reproduction antique post card on the table next to our nativity set each Christmas season. The nativity set was passed on to me a few years ago. In the box was the post card, with a sentiment written by Phillips Brooks, a man known as the greatest American preacher of the 19th century and writer of the Christmas hymn, O Little Town of Bethlehem.

Each year when I read the post card, a thrill of joy bubbles up from my heart. At this beautiful time of year, I wish you a similar thrill of joy. . .

“Lift up your eyes to the great meaning of the day, and dare to think of your humanity as something so divinely precious that it is worthy of being made an offering to God.

Count it as a privilege to make that offering as complete as possible, keeping nothing back; and then go out to the pleasures and duties of your life, having been truly born anew into His divinity, as he was born into our humanity on Christmas Day.”

Oh, Christmas Tree!

I love the Christmas season. The thought of my Lord coming to earth as a babe and offering His life a ransom for mankind gives me tingles up my spine and tears in my eyes. I can hardly wrap my brain around that kind of love.

So, it is with great enthusiasm I decorate my home. This year we put up our Christmas tree a little bit earlier than usual. My nineteen-year-old daughter Liz volunteered to help me find the perfect tree. We struck out early Friday morning and were disappointed to find the tree lot we usually go to was empty. Oh, well. There was another north of town we could look. Empty, too. I began to wonder if we were too early when we saw a car in the parking lot of Lowe’s with a tree strapped to the roof. We pulled into the lot and were delighted to find a sign advertising fresh trees.

As we walked into the garden center something magical happened. Both of us were immediately drawn to the same tree. The color was beautiful, the needles soft and pliable, it was full without being too broad at the bottom, and it smelled heavenly. I think it was even spotlighted by sunshine from an overhead skylight.

Oh, I guess I should tell you the last words my husband said when we left the house were, “Don’t get carried away.” With this in mind, we decided I would hold up the tree and Liz would make sure it was right for us. I pulled the tree into the aisle and Liz walked about ten feet away to get a good perspective. She clasped her hands to her chest and with a smile illuminating her face, exclaimed, “It’s perfect!” I asked her if it was too tall. “Oh, no. It’s perfect.” Yeah, I thought so too.

The attendant put the tree in plastic netting and strapped that baby to the roof of the car. When we arrived home the rest of the family came out to help us carry it in. We were so excited we almost didn’t notice their jaws just about hitting the ground.
“What were you thinking?”
“Huh?”
“That tree’s huge!”
“Really? I held it up to me, and Liz said it was perfect.”

Out of nowhere it seemed someone came out with a tape measure. 9 ½ feet—yikes. Did I mention I’m 5’4”? Thank God for volume ceilings and nine foot ladders.

My practically perfect daughter and our perfect Christmas tree

Almost a Criminal

This morning I was stopped before I committed a crime. A crime against fashion.

Just as I was about to walk out the door, my daughter looked at me and asked, “Uh, are you going out in that?”

Hmmm. Well, there I stood—car keys in hand, purse slung over my shoulder. “Yes, and I’m late for work.”

My other daughter stood, looked at me, and raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

Yikes! “Do you think I should change?”

Their laughter led me to believe that a potato sack would be better than what I was wearing. I went back to my closet and came out stylishly understated, the way I usually look.

Thank God for people who love me enough to be brutally honest. Actually, I’m the lady who goes up to a stranger to tell her the “size 12” label is still stuck to the leg of her new jeans.

Wouldn’t the world be a better (or more interesting) place if we all tried to stop people before they continued with their foolish choices?

Here’s to hoping that you have someone in your life who loves you enough to say, “Uh, that nose hair could use a little trimming.”

Pop Culture

Who says you can’t learn anything from pop culture? Tuesday night I went to the Paul McCartney concert and was taught a new word. Peradventure. It means perhaps or possibly. It's actually an archaic word that he's put into one of his new songs. To help define the word, he used it in a sentence as it pertains to an old song of his, "Peradventure I'm Amazed." Somehow that doesn't have the same ring as "Maybe I'm Amazed." Still, it thrills me when people play with words. Okay, call me weird.

Everything's Relative

Yesterday I overheard this conversation:

"I was rear ended in my Dad's SUV last week."

"What happened?"

"An older guy, in his late 30s, didn't stop for the stop sign at the corner..."

My Maple tree was never more beautiful than this autumn season. Too bad our first storm almost took it out.

Ah, Colorado weather

We had our first snow of the season on Sunday night, 12 inches! Unfortunately all the trees still have leaves. Do you know what happens when heavy, wet, snow falls on trees with leaves? (Oh, if you don't know, not all snow is heavy and wet.) Anyway, our trees lost branches and branches. One of the aspen trees lost the top 20 feet of the tree. I woke up during the night hearing popping noises, when I looked out the window I gasped so loudly that I woke my husband.